Tourist levy bid backed

Plans to petition the Government to consider a much-discussed visitor levy in Queenstown are gathering steam, Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive Adam Feeley said.

The proposed levy would help offset the cost of tourists on the resort's infrastructure.

The district has a relatively small population base - about 30,000 - but more than two million visitors per annum, putting pressure on the area's infrastructure for which ratepayers foot the bill.

No dollar figure has been determined for a levy, should a trial proceed.

The QLDC began working on a proposal for the Government about six months ago, Mr Feeley said,.

This followed a Local Government New Zealand review of funding, which also mooted the idea of a visitor levy for Queenstown.

''So, off the back of that, we've been working with the Chamber of Commerce on doing some further analysis around it.''

Mr Feeley said the proportion of tourists into Queenstown in particular was ''without parallel anywhere else in New Zealand''.

''We have 200 times the ratio of visitors to locals to the average in New Zealand.

It's not going to slow down, so I think people are saying 'it may well be an idea which is about to have its day'.

''It would be nice, I think, to see something come out of it.''

While the proposal was still to be finalised, once the analysis and business case had been developed, there would be ''a discussion with Government''.

Mr Feeley said that may well be chamber-led.

''I think it's really important that Government understand the business community in Queenstown are supportive of visitor levies; they're sometimes very unpopular with business, but the chamber's very supportive.''

Neither Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden or Queenstown Chamber of Commerce chief executive Ann Lockhart could be reached for comment yesterday.

Mr Feeley said the report would look at several options for collecting the levy, but the most effective and simple way would be to introduce a per night levy on accommodation.

''It means for every night you stay in a place, you pay the levy, so there's a direct proportionality between being in the district, using the infrastructure, using the facilities and the impact on the district.

''[Overseas] they sometimes tie it into tourism activities, you can do it by way of a toll, you can do it through an airport tax, but all of those things don't have the same proportionality.

''In other words, if I fly into Queenstown, whether I stay for one night or 100 nights, I'm only paying that levy once at the point of entry. Whereas if it's based around accommodation ... it's for every night's stay.''

He believed it would be an ''extremely low-risk concept'' to trial in the resort because the characteristics were so unique.

''It could be the district, but equally it could be, say, confined to the Wakatipu Basin, it could be confined to Queenstown itself - that would be all for discussion.

tracey.roxburgh@odt.co.nz

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